slipstitch

A slipstitch is a loop that moves from the left needle to the right needle without any new yarn being drawn through it. The loop itself remains unchanged in structure, though its position shifts. This operation is fundamental in knitting and appears in nearly every garment produced on industrial machines.

The stitch serves several practical functions. It shortens rows when partial knitting is needed for shaping shoulders or sleeve caps. It reduces bulk at selvages or edges by preventing the doubling that occurs when stitches are continuously knitted off. On jacquard and patterned fabrics, slipped stitches create the illusion of columns or lines by floating yarn behind them, allowing design effects without adding physical rows. The float itself can be deliberately loose or snug depending on the final appearance required.

Mechanics and terminology

Technically, the slipped stitch can be worked from front or back depending on the direction of transfer. A purlwise slipstitch transfers with the needle entering from right to left; a knitwise slipstitch enters from left to right. The distinction matters because it affects how the loop sits on the needle and how it will behave in subsequent rows. Industrial machines control this through needle selection and barring patterns rather than hand manipulation.

On flatbed and circular machines, slipping is triggered by needle selection codes that exclude a particular needle from engaging with the yarn feeders. On Jacquard machines, the patterning system determines which needles slip and which knit on every course. Speed is maintained throughout because the slipped needle still moves up and down with the machine cycle, but it simply does not receive yarn.

Common faults arise when loops slippage becomes uncontrolled. Floats that are too loose create snagging hazards during finishing and wear. Dropped slips, where a loop escapes the needle entirely, must be caught immediately or a ladder of unraveled stitches will run down the fabric. Tension in the carried yarn must be consistent, especially in multi-color work, to avoid puckering. Slipstitch is cheap to produce and adds almost no processing time, which is why it remains standard across nearly all knitted goods.